Peter Leonard Coe (18 April 1929 – 25 May 1987), was an English film and

theatre director A theatre director or stage director is a professional in the theatre field who oversees and orchestrates the mounting of a theatre production such as a play, opera, dance, drama, musical theatre performance, etc. by unifying various endeavors a ...

and actor.

Early life

Coe was born in London on 18 April 1929 and graduated from the

London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art The London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art (LAMDA) is a drama school located in Hammersmith, London. Founded in 1861, it is the oldest specialist drama school in the British Isles and a founding member of the Federation of Drama Schools. In ...

Career

After beginning his career as an actor, Coe staged dramas, musicals and operas across several continents in a long career. His first London success came in 1959 with the musical ''Lock Up Your Daughters'' and by 1961 he had three hits running simultaneously. He also directed both the West End and Broadway productions of ''

Oliver! ''Oliver!'' is a stage musical, with book, music and lyrics by Lionel Bart. The musical is based upon the 1838 novel ''Oliver Twist'' by Charles Dickens. It premiered at the Wimbledon Theatre, southwest London in 1960 before opening in the W ...

'' as well as its U.S. national tour and the 1983 London and 1984 Broadway revivals. His operatic credits included ''The Love of Three Oranges'', ''The Angel of Fire'', and ''Ernani''. In 1981 Coe received an Antoinette Perry Award nomination as Best Director for A Life, and in 1982 he won the award for his revival of ''Othello''. His appointments included artistic director for the

Citadel Theatre The Citadel Theatre is the major venue for theatre arts in the city of Edmonton, Alberta, Canada, located in the city's downtown core on Churchill Square. It is the third largest regional theatre in Canada. History It began in a former Salvati ...

in Edmonton, Canada in 1980, and the

American Shakespeare Theatre The American Shakespeare Theatre was a theater company based in Stratford, Connecticut. It was formed in the early 1950s by Lawrence Langner, Lincoln Kirstein, John Percy Burrell, and philanthropist Joseph Verner Reed. The American Shakespeare ...

in Stratford, in United States and prior to his death artistic director of the

Churchill Theatre The Churchill Theatre in Bromley, southeast London, was built by the London Borough of Bromley according to designs by the borough architect's department. The Churchill is an example of a repertory theatre built in the style of European opera ...

in Bromley, Kent.

Awards and nominations

He was thrice nominated for the

Tony Award The Antoinette Perry Award for Excellence in Broadway Theatre, more commonly known as a Tony Award, recognizes excellence in live Broadway theatre. The awards are presented by the American Theatre Wing and The Broadway League at an annual ce ...

on Broadway; in 1963 for Best Director (musical) for ''Oliver!'', 1981 for Best Director (play) for ''A Life'' before winning for Best Director (drama) with ''Othello'' in 1982.

Theatre productions

Filmography

* '' Lock Up Your Daughters (1969)'' * ''Barnum'' (1981) * ''Mr Lincoln'' (1981)

References

Film Reference

* ''The Bromley Times obituary'' 1987 * ''Variety obituary'' 27 May 1987

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Coe (theatre director), Peter 1929 births 1987 deaths Alumni of the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art English artistic directors British opera directors English male stage actors English theatre directors English film directors Road incident deaths in London